Adnan Syed Of 'Serial' Fame Appears In Court To Seek New Trial

By:

"All this time I thought the courts proved it was Adnan that killed her. I thought he was where he deserved to be. Now I'm not so sure."

That's an email from Asia McLean to Sarah Koenig, as read on the very first episode of Serial, the podcast sensation produced by the creators of This American Life.

If you're just catching up, each season of Serial follows a single true story, told episode by episode.

The first season investigated the case of Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend more than 15 years ago. Host Sarah Koenig and her team uncovered inconsistencies in his case — including the fact that Asia McLean was an alibi witness. She said she'd seen Syed at the time Hae Min Lee's murder occurred, but that testimony was never brought forth in court.

"Syed was convicted. He's been in prison for more than 15 years — he's 35 now," she says. "It's remarkable that he is getting a hearing now."

He was convicted in 2000 of the murder of Hae Min Lee in 1999.

Seabrook says the hearing will feature new evidence, including the alibi and some serious questions about the reliability of cellphone data used in the original trial.

Syed's new defense attorney, C. Justin Brown, says he'll be presenting witnesses and exhibits, Seabrook reports. "We're confident that after we have entered all the evidence that the judge is going to carefully consider it and it's going to win Adnan Syed a new trial," Brown says.

As Seabrook notes, there's no guarantee of redemption here. Even Koenig, after researching Syed's case for a year, wasn't entirely convinced he was innocent.

Description: A Charlie Brown Christmas, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning story by Charles M. Schulz, has warmed the hearts of millions of fans since it first aired on television over fifty years ago. Now, the classic animated television special comes to life in this faithful stage adaptation, featuring all of your favorite characters and the classic Vince Guaraldi score. Join Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts gang as they mount a play, save a tree and uncover the true meaning of Christmas. Tickets are $14-$40. Submitted by: Madi Schulz Lied Center of Kansas